The Path of Balance
by DestroyHuman
Summary: Jude lives in an orphanage in Stormwind. However, this orphanage is far from ordinary; each orphan has their own unique power. Everyone except Jude, that is. But, why are they all there? What happened eight years ago that has Jude so on edge? Will a prophecy change the order of things and bring someone from Jude's past back? (World of Warcraft AU, ensemble cast, rated T to be safe)
1. Chapter 0

Dark times have fallen on Azeroth. A world shattered by aliens, undead, and natural disasters finds itself in need of solutions.

Or, at the very least, hope.

Legends tell of a prophecy brought about by a communing of the arcane, the wilds, the elements, the light, and the darkness in days long past. The names of those who participated in the ancient ritual to reveal this omen have long faded from time's thin and feeble strands, but the words themselves ring true and clear…

…for those willing to listen.

* * *

 _Eleven young heroes shall one day rise up, each holding greater power individually than any other group of heroes can hope to wield._

 _Two of the martial persuasion, one wild and furious, the other disciplined and controlled._

 _One to control the arcane, and one to control the elements, each with their own great wisdoms._

 _One to tame wild beasts as she cannot tame her emotions, and one to shape the wilds as it has shaped her._

 _One to hold the Light's power in her grasp, and one to hold a darkness that corrupts the soul when wielded carelessly._

 _One is always hiding, always rebellious, always alone._

 _While these nine each hold great power, the final two shall be knights, and shall reach heights of great power matched only by the gods and Titans that shaped this world._

 _One knight shall be of pure good…the other shall be of pure evil._

 _Good and evil shall form a bond, one which cannot be broken by mortal devices, and one which shall either bring solace to the world…or destroy it._

 _Hear this now, O people of Azeroth, and rejoice. But be ever-wary, for these heroes may bring an eternity of prosperity…or the world's final hurried gasp of air._

* * *

Jude folded the parchment carefully and slipped it back into the drawer of his nightstand.

To other thirteen-year olds, the prophecy was silly, an exciting bedtime story passed down from generation to generation.

But not to Jude. Jude knew the truth. Jude knew that all of those named in the prophecy were real.

After all, they were his roommates. There were nine other orphans sleeping in the beds around him, and all except Jude were named in the prophecy.

But, the last piece was still missing. A piece Jude - and everyone else at the orphanage, for that matter - still couldn't figure out.

" _One knight shall be of pure good…the other shall be of pure evil._

 _Good and evil shall form a bond, one which cannot be broken by mortal devices, and one which shall either bring solace to the world…or destroy it."_

"Lights out in there, Jude!" A harsh whisper from one of the Grandmatrons of the orphanage, and Jude had no choice to comply. He had no desire to be on the receiving end of one of Grandmatron Stefanie's famed punishments.

And as the young boy sleeps, he thinks nothing of the unimaginable power hidden inside the depths of his very being.


	2. Chapter 1: A Balanced Breakfast

Jude was running. He knew he couldn't stop running...

 _The other five-year-old running beside him suddenly tripped and fell._

 _...not for anything. Not even for..._

" _Jude, come on! We have to move!" Callie yelled at him, urging him forward._

 _..._ him _._

* * *

Jude shot up, awakening in a cold sweat, his body tangled in the sheets from his all-too-vivid nightmare.

Jude sighed. _Eight years, and I still can't stop remembering that day..._ He just hoped that he hadn't accidentally woken any of the other orphans up.

He looked around to see...and realized that no one else was in the room, and that daylight was pouring in through the windows.

 _Well, at least I slept well,_ Jude thought to himself as he clambered out of bed and headed for the kitchen, hoping that some of Grandmatron Lena's famous pancakes might be left over from breakfast.

He entered the kitchen to a typical sight: all of the orphans and the two Grandmatrons gathered around the large table in the center of the room (he affectionately referred to it as the "Command Table," even though a group of nine children, no matter their powers, could hardly be called an army).

The conversation around the table was muted, so Jude wasn't able to catch any of it. He sheepishly cleared his throat to try and get someone's attention.

All of the chatter ceased instantly, to Jude's surprise. Something was amiss.

"Hey there, sleepyhead!" Grandmatron Stefanie called to him. "Now that you're here, we can finally get started on this meeting!"

 _...get started?_ Jude thought. Jude was never part of the meetings. After all, why would he be? He didn't have any powers, he was useless.

"C'mon bud, sit down. Stef has a really urgent mission for us." Jude heard Callie's voice, but didn't see her, as expected. No one really saw her anymore, not after she had discovered her power.

"Us? What do you need me for?" Jude asked, though still sitting down at the table like he had been asked.

"Well, it's a long story, so I won't elaborate here..." Stef began.

"...but the Highlord specifically requested your presence down in the Scarlet Enclave, Jude, along with the others," Grandmatron Lena finished.

"The Highlord? You mean...Tirion Fordring himself?"

"No Jude, she means the _other_ Highlord." Taylor quipped, sliding a plate of pancakes and a fork down to Jude in the process.

"Tone please, Taylor," Stef scolded. "Anyway, he needs our merry band of orphans to help fight back the undead flowing down from Acherus. Specifically, death knights-"

"DEATH KNIGHTS!" Daria shrieked. "WE'VE NEVER FOUGHT THOSE BEFORE! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED T-"

That was all she was able to get out before Taylor covered her mouth with a conjured vine. "Stop freaking out Daria, you're scaring Kitty. Why would you want to scare your own vicious beast like that?"

Daria pulled the root off her face and pointed to the panther by her side, who was clearly on edge. "Kitty is _not_ a vicious beast, Taylor! She's just misunderstood!"

"Yeah, sure, if beasts that are just 'misunderstood' rip out people's throats with their gigantic fangs!"

"Ugh, will you two prissy little night elves shut up? Some of us are actually trying to pay attention here!" Brandon interrupted with disgust. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a bottle of syrup for Jude, who Brandon had just now noticed was glaring at him and probably had been for at least 5 minutes.

Stef cleared her throat loudly, and suddenly all were quiet again, everyone's eyes glued to the imposing Grandmatron. "Lexi, Emma, you'll be on medic duty. Jesus, Mariana, you'll need to evacuate the citizenry of the area and get them all to a safe place. Everyone else, you'll be on the front lines pushing the death knights back.

"Now, as for you, Jude," she continued, turning towards him, "the gryphons will be landing in New Avalon. The airspace under the Ebon Hold just isn't safe with the Lich King inside it. We'll be transporting you via protected caravan to Light's Hope Chapel, so you can meet with the Highlord."

Jude froze with a forkful of syrup-drenched pancakes on the way to his mouth. "Wait, Master Fordring wants to meet with me? Personally? Why?"

"We...don't know," Lena jumped in to answer. "He...wouldn't tell us."

"I mean...I don't see how I could be much use against an army of undead. Plus, for an enclave, this place sounds _really_ unsafe."

"Yes, Jude, but it's a risk we'll have to take. The Highlord said it was important, so we're trusting him on this." Stef's tone shifted to something much more commanding, so suddenly that Jude actually jumped a little bit. "Alright, kids, you know the drill! Gryphon Master Longdrink has rides set up for us over in the Trade District. Be ready in 10 minutes! Pair up, we'll be riding two to a gryphon!"

 _10 minutes?! I thought she meant, like, tomorrow!_ Jude pushed his plate of pancakes away. He already felt queasy, and he knew the upcoming gryphon ride wouldn't help things.

* * *

Everyone in the room had cleared out, except for Stef and Lena. At least, at first glance, everyone had cleared out.

Callie faded into existence sitting in her assigned seat at the table, a look of apprehension plastered across her face.

"Does Master Fordring really think that Jude is...you know...?"

"The Highlord doesn't think, Callie," Lena replied. "He _knows_."

"Even so...I'm worried for Jude. If Master Fordring's scouts are to be believed, then...well...it's been eight years now. I'm not sure how Jude will react to seeing... _him_...again. Especially in his current state."

"You know the prophecy as well as anyone, Callie. _Good and evil shall form a bond, one which cannot be broken by mortal devices, and one which shall either bring solace to the world…or destroy it._ If the Highlord is correct...we have no other choice."


	3. Chapter 2: The Dark and the Light

_All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance – I bestow upon you, my chosen knight._

Anger…cruelty…vengeance? This certainly wasn't in the knight's handbook. But as soon as the thought popped into his mind, it was replaced with that deep, raspy voice he had heard for far too long, that made his mind go numb in submission….

 _I have granted you immortality so that you may herald in a new, dark age for the Scourge._

Well, he would rather be dead, that's for damn sure. The Scourge killed his family, and possibly his friends. Sure, he saw them get away, but that didn't mean they were safe…

 _Gaze now upon the lands below us. The Scarlet Crusade scurries to undo my work, while Light's Hope stands defiantly against us – a blemish upon these Plaguelands. They must all be shown the price of defiance._

As soon as the word "defiance" popped into his head, a pulse like an electric shock surged through his pale-skinned frame. He grimaced. He knew the price of defiance. He knew it all too well.

 _Yet, even as the Scarlet Crusade shall fall before us – and they shall – another threat presents itself. Against…_ them… _you will become my force of retribution. Where you tread, doom will follow._

Someone new? No one new had even come near the Scarlet Enclave recently…certainly no one wanted to risk becoming a mindless undead, or worse…

 _Go now and claim your destiny…Connor Stevens._

…a death knight.

* * *

Well, Jude hadn't thrown up his breakfast. That was definitely a plus. But the talk he had with Callie on the gryphon ride there was surprisingly not fruitful. It was clear that she knew something, but Jude couldn't get any information from her that he didn't know already.

"You're really letting me go on a mission with you guys?"

"Well, I was told you would be kept completely safe, and Master Fordring said it was important, so I don't have much choice but to let you come with us." Callie's eyes flickered away from Jude, and he caught the movement, but said nothing of it.

That Callie was so apprehensive of this "field trip" made Jude highly suspicious, but he trusted the Grandmatrons. And the Highlord, for that matter.

* * *

The preparation was a mad scramble for everyone to get in position. Lexi dragged Emma over to the medic wards (Emma was mumbling something about "weirdo Light fanatics" in Dwarven under her breath). Jesus grabbed a nearby scarlet-tinged shield and a greatsword and followed Mariana, who dressed in thin leather clothes for maximum mobility.

The night elves, Daria and Taylor (plus Kitty), scurried behind the pandaren twins, Daria hefting a bow (which was almost her size) and Taylor wielding her gnarled staff. AJ and Brandon followed close behind, still each studying the tomes in their hands. And of course, Callie was nowhere to be found, but that was normal.

"Alright, Jude!" Stef called. "The caravan's ready!"

"A horse-drawn carriage surrounded by six guards from the highest level of the Crusade? Isn't this a lot of resources for just me?" Jude asked.

"It's that important you get to Light's Hope, Jude. We can't let the Highlord down on this." Lena chimed in.

Jude sighed and took his place between Lena and Stef. With this many guards, there was no way anything bad could happen…right?

* * *

 _Ah…your target is on his way to Light's Hope now._

"His"? I thought you said it was multiple people.

 _Yes. But if you remove him from the picture, these upstarts will no longer be relevant. He is their source of power, their foundation…even if they don't know it. I can feel the Light emanating off of him from here, and it is scalding. Even their draenei doesn't burn from so far away._

Why wouldn't he know of his own power? How could he not see it?

 _Youth is a blinding force, death knight. I think you'll enjoy this particular kill._

How could I enjoy killing for you, you soulless bastard?!

 _Your harsh words reveal a strong will, death knight. Maybe you will not enjoy it…but I certainly will. But you should be happy, too, to see the Scourge's hold upon this wretched, life-cursed land consolidated into an iron-fisted grip._

How will I know who my target is, anyway?

 _He is flanked by an entire caravan. You'll know him when you see him. You are strong, too. You may feel his power, if it is not obvious enough for even a simple mind like yours to comprehend, or if his face is not familiar enough for your tortured spirit to remember._

Connor opened his eyes. Where there should have been eyeballs, only an endless blue void manifested.

 _Now, go. Frostmourne hungers!_


End file.
